He said it’s an honor that the world now knows the genius of Native Americans, whom the 84-year-old grew up watching stories, textbooks and popular media labeling as “savages. “
Ancient American Indian ceremonial and burial mounds in Ohio, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Wallace praised the countless tribal figures, government officials, and local advocates who made this designation possible, adding author, teacher, and local ranger Bruce Lombardo, who once said, “If Julius Caesar had brought a delegation to North America, they would have gone to Chillicothe. “
“That means this position in the middle of North America, in the middle of culture, in the middle of events, in the middle of Native Americans, in the middle of religion, in the middle of spirituality, in the middle of love, in the middle of peace,” Wallace says. “Here at Chillicothe. And that’s what Chillicothe stands for today. “
Hopewell’s massive ceremonial earthworks, described as “a cathedral component, a cemetery component, and an astronomical observatory component,” come with ancient sites spread across 90 miles south and east of Columbus, adding one on the grounds of a personal golf course and country club. It places the network of mounds and earthen structures in the same category as the wonders of the world, adding the Greek Acropolis, Peru’s Machu Picchu, and the Great Wall of China.
The mound is seen at the Hopewell Culture National Historical Park in Chillicothe, Ohio, on Oct. 14, 2020 (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster).
The presence of fabrics such as obsidian, mica, shells, and shark teeth has made it apparent to archaeologists that ceremonies held at these sites between 2,000 and 1,600 years ago attracted indigenous peoples from across the continent.
The rite of inscription took place against the backdrop of Mound City, a sacred gathering place and cemetery located just steps from the Scioto River. Four other sites in the historic park – Hopewell Mound Group, Seip Earthworks, Highbank Park Earthworks and Hopeton Earthworks – sign ready for Fort Ancient Earthworks
“My wish on this day is that the other people who come here from all parts of the world, from Ross County, from all over Ohio, from all over the United States, wherever they come from, my wish is that they will be encouraged, encouraged through the genius that created them, and perseverance and long, long paintings that were used to create them,” said Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine. “They’re awesome. “
UN VOTES TO TURN RUINS NEAR ANCIENT BIBLICAL CITY OF JERICHO INTO A ‘WORLD HERITAGE SITE’
Nita Battise, vice chair of the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe Tribal Council in Texas, said she worked at Hopewell Historical Park 36 years ago, when they had to beg others to come visit. He said many battles have been won since then.
“The time has come, and to see our classic and ancestral sites identified globally is phenomenal,” he said. “We have to not forget where we came from, because if you don’t forget it, you will remember it. “
Kathy Hoagland, whose family circle has lived near Frankfort, Ohio, since the 1950s, said the local network “needs it, too. “
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“We want it culturally, we want it economically, we want it socially,” he said. “We want it at every level. “
Hoagland said having the eyes of the world on them will make local citizens “make friends with our past,” enliven their businesses and smooth out political divisions.
“It’s here. You can’t take it off, and that’s why it brings us all together in a very unique way,” he said. “So, that’s the beautiful thing. Each one separates everything and we combine. “”
National Park Service Director Chuck Sams, the first Native American to hold the position, said showcasing the accomplishments of Hopewell elders to a global audience “will tell the world the full story of America and the remarkable diversity of our cultural heritage. “